Dr. Mark Tager speaking on stage with a microphone

About Dr. Tager

Making emerging science useful.

Mark J. Tager, MD, is a physician-educator, healthcare strategist, and medical communicator who makes complex ideas practical, persuasive, and immediately actionable.

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Four decades of impact

Science translated into momentum.

For more than four decades, Dr. Tager has turned complex science into practical education, successful products, and thriving businesses.

A Duke-trained physician and author of twelve books, he has produced hundreds of resources, launched the Fraxel® laser, and advised leading health, nutrition, longevity, regenerative medicine, and aesthetics companies.

Through ChangeWell—and nonprofit work with the Vagus Nerve Society (VNS) and The Root Cause Project—he connects science, strategy, storytelling, and clinical practice. The through line is simple: educate, inspire, and create lasting impact.

The origin story

Whole-person care, from the beginning.

From a one-hour appointment in Oregon to a lifetime of translating health into action.

1976

More time with patients

After earning his medical degree from Duke University and training in Family Practice at the University of Oregon Health Science Center, Mark carried that same belief into a career of teaching and speaking.

An early pioneer in integrative medicine, he founded the Institute of Preventive Medicine in Portland, Oregon in 1976. He recognized that most patients simply needed more time with their doctor, so he created the standard one-hour appointment so patients could fully explore their health issues. The Institute featured other holistically oriented practitioners, most of whom also taught classes; Mark taught a popular Monday night yoga class.

Next chapter

Wellness at scale

Mark became Director of Health Promotion for the Northwest division of Kaiser Permanente, where he trained healthcare professionals to deliver wellness services at scale. While in Oregon, he also produced a weekly radio show, wrote wellness columns for The Oregon Journal and The Seattle Times, and authored Whole Person Healthcare in 1977.

He also produced an early cable health series sponsored by Bristol Myers Squibb, The Wellness Lifestyle—bringing the principles of whole-person care into more public conversation.

Great Performance

Turning education into a company

After leaving Oregon, he founded Great Performance, Inc., a consumer health company that he ran for ten years before selling it to Times Mirror’s Mosby Health division, then the leading health-science publisher in the United States. He transferred copyrights to more than 200 educational videos, books, workbooks, and posters that he produced.

2000

Aesthetics, at a new scale

In 2000, Mark moved into aesthetics as the founding vice president of marketing for Reliant Technologies. He was responsible for launching the Fraxel® laser, helping establish a new category at the intersection of medicine, technology, and beauty.

2005

A field that keeps moving

After five years with Reliant Technologies, Mark became chief marketing officer for Syneron. He has maintained strong connections across the aesthetics field ever since, helping cosmeceutical and medical-device companies position their products with clarity and credibility.

ChangeWell

Making the message move

Through ChangeWell, Mark has worked with more than 40 companies to clarify, organize, and deliver their messaging. He also provides presentation-skills training for key opinion leaders and executives—helping the right ideas land with the people who need them.

VNS + Root Cause

Science in service

That connective work now extends into nonprofit leadership. Mark co-founded the Vagus Nerve Society (VNS) alongside Dr. Peter Staats and created The Root Cause Project to advance research, education, and conversation around the vagus nerve, root-cause health, and whole-person care.

San Diego

A lasting connection

Based in San Diego for almost 30 years, Mark remains closely connected to the vibrant integrative medicine, functional medicine, and aesthetics communities.

Dr. Tager and his wife walking on a beach

Away from the work

A life beyond the stage.

When he’s not on the road or translating science for an audience, Dr. Tager enjoys the quieter side of life in San Diego—with his wife, family, a growing cadre of grandkids, his dog, and his garden where he grows impressive tomatoes.

A short introduction

Meet the physician behind the work.

A brief welcome from Dr. Tager on the ideas and experiences that shape his work across healthcare, education, and communication.

Nonprofit leadership

Turning connection into a public mission.

Some of Mark’s most meaningful work happens where science, service, and shared purpose meet.

VNS

Vagus Nerve Society

As a co-founder of the Vagus Nerve Society, Mark helps bring clinicians, researchers, and educators together around the rapidly growing science of the vagus nerve.

Research + education

The Root Cause Project

Mark created The Root Cause Project to support research and public understanding of the deeper drivers of chronic illness—and to make whole-person health easier to pursue.